Chapter 48: Isn’t This the Evil Possession in Cultivation Novels?

Chapter 48: Isn’t This the Evil Body Snatching from Cultivation Novels?

At that moment, Meng Siyou inexplicably felt restless. His lips parted and closed, and he finally uttered in a frail voice, "You... are you okay?"

The lights in the screening room flickered on. Chu Fu blinked, and the dazzling yet perilous gold-red hue in his eyes gradually faded, retracting all his sharp edges as he returned to his previous nonchalant demeanor.

As if boneless, he lazily leaned back into his chair, making the brief interaction seem like nothing more than Meng Siyou’s imagination.

The office worker, sitting farther away, didn’t notice Meng Siyou’s momentary stiffness and anomaly. She merely glanced over curiously and probed, "What happened in the ad? Why did it black out for so long...?"

"Took a little space voyage, toured a cutting-edge technological starship," Chu Fu paused, then smiled faintly, "and along the way, I ran into an ill-mannered brat and took some time to teach him a lesson."

Of course, his greatest gain from this trip was successfully enraging the crimson planet-form creature, which in turn triggered the High Priest’s Ability, allowing him a brief taste of the power of "Future Definition."

At the final moment, he felt as though fate was but a play scripted by his hand, a path he alone decided. Countless visions of the future unfolded before his eyes like luxuriant forking branches—yet only the ones he favored could become the true "trunk."

Unfortunately, the locked state of his Ability remained unresolved. In the data displayed on his phone, the High Priest’s personal information had transformed into:

"Innate Ability: Future Definition (Rank 8 - 60% Locked State)"

"Description: In extreme environments and against dangerous foes, you have a chance to reclaim your former might... But your peak has long passed, so such inhuman strength can only be temporary."

As for the monster used as a tool to trigger his Ability...

To humans, its size was already so vast its limits were beyond sight, but among the prey Yi Fengchu had hunted, it was merely a small candy barely enough to fill the gaps between teeth.

Just before exiting the ad, he took a bite out of it in his High Priest form, devouring half of the crimson "planet" in one go—yet he felt no sense of fullness. He wondered if this was because it was merely a creature from the ad.

The other three players, hearing Chu Fu’s casual retelling, wore varying expressions, clearly forming their own speculations.

"An ill-mannered brat"?

What kind of normal child could appear inexplicably in the void of space?!

Given the context, this so-called "kid" was probably strong enough to knock their blocks off...

The office worker joked, "You’re not some high-level Ability user above Rank 8, condescending to join us for fun, are you?"

Chu Fu answered honestly, "Actually, this vessel is only Rank 2."

The office worker’s smile slowly faded. "Rank 2? No way."

"Really, I’m not lying."

Seeing Chu Fu’s unusually sincere expression, the office worker found it hard to accept that this mysterious player—who had quietly been regarded as the unofficial leader—was only at the most basic level of Ability users. Even talented newcomers could awaken at Rank 3 or 4...

But then she reconsidered his phrasing—"this vessel"—and suddenly understood.

So, his true identity must still be that of an ancient and mysterious powerhouse!

It was just that, for unknown reasons, he was currently inhabiting a weaker vessel. That was entirely different from being a genuinely low-level Ability user.

The bespectacled man, standing nearby, glanced at the office worker’s enlightened expression and hesitated—

Why were both of them so casually accepting the idea of "this vessel"?!

Did high-level Ability users just swap bodies like changing outfits?

Isn’t this the evil body snatching from cultivation novels?!

His thoughts spiraled further: Was "Chu Fu" this higher being’s real name, or just the name of the vessel’s original owner?

If there was a real "Chu Fu," where was he now? Could it be...

His mind conjured up bloody, brutal methods, and when he looked up at the faint smile on Chu Fu’s lips, it seemed to him as though it was stained with an indelible bloodstain—so cold it chilled the blood.

The bespectacled man shuddered and swore to himself: Even if he died, he would never defy this higher being’s will...

If he ever fell into the hands of such powerful figures, death would be far from the worst outcome.

Gripped by fear and urgency, he felt compelled to do something to ingratiate himself with Chu Fu.

Thus, for once, he spoke up proactively: "There’s still one more ad to test. Since I’ve had the longest rest, why don’t I take this one?"

"You?"

The office worker gave him a surprised look at this self-sacrificing offer, but when she noticed his furtive glances at Chu Fu, her astonishment turned into understanding.

Meng Siyou frowned, instinctively concerned for his temporary teammates’ safety: "But your Ability is more suited for survival in extreme situations—it’s not strong in defense or offense..."

"It’s fine. I’ve already experienced one ad. The lessons I learned should help me avoid most dangers—especially when choosing the ad."

The bespectacled man smiled. "Besides, we’re lucky to have a Life Domain Ability user here. We’re not enemies—I trust that if I get hurt, or even near death, none of you would just stand by and watch, right?"

The office worker nodded. "True. You’re not as annoying as that bald guy. Even if you breathe your last, I can still revive you."

Chu Fu silently observed their exchange without a word, as if deep in thought.

Reassured by the others, the bespectacled man turned back to the electronic screen to browse the ad list again.

Unlike his careless selection when the bald man had been the fallback, this time he scrutinized the options carefully, picking one he believed would be most advantageous for him.

But then—

"Huh?" The bespectacled man exclaimed. "Why... can’t I select any ads?"

The office worker and Meng Siyou froze, then looked down. No matter which ad they chose, the screen displayed the same prompt:

"This round of testing is complete. Thank you for your cooperation."

Yet the amusement park’s System Panel clearly showed:

「Mission: As substitute testers, five players must collaborate to test a total of five ads. (4/5)」

「Players may only leave the instance world after completing all tasks.

Any attempts to escape via spatial Abilities, items, or other unauthorized means will be penalized by the Inquisitor. Consequences at your own risk!」

"This system’s busted, right?" the office worker cursed. "On one hand, it won’t let us leave until we finish testing, and on the other, it’s telling us we’re already done. They should duke it out first!"

Chu Fu lowered his gaze, seemingly unsurprised. He stood and addressed the others: "Let’s go find that red vest staff member together?"

...

The group left the screening room, traversed the long hallway, and returned to the company lobby.

The red vest staff member who had initially greeted them was nowhere to be seen. Only two women stood behind the reception desk.

Both had their hair pinned up, with well-proportioned features and faint, practiced smiles. Their figures were nearly identical, dressed in matching black blazers with shirt collars and ties. Standing side by side behind the counter, they looked like copy-pasted duplicates—almost indistinguishable from one another.

"Hello, we're the temporary workers currently responsible for ad verification," Meng Siyou stepped forward first, "but there seems to be an issue in the media room suddenly..."

The two receptionists turned to look at him in unison, their smiles as if perfectly measured, their lip curves identical: "Hello, regarding specific work facility issues, we're sorry we can't help with that."

"If you need help, you can take the elevator to the work area on the third floor," they raised their hands to point in the same direction, speaking simultaneously.

The office worker's brows twitched slightly, her face showing suspicion as she scrutinized the two receptionists for a few seconds, murmuring under her breath, "Strange, they're clearly living, breathing beings, yet their reactions are like robots..."

The receptionists seemed to hear her, yet showed no trace of the anger a normal person would feel when insulted to their face. Their smiles remained warm and polite, their friendliness so polished it seemed fake: "Hello, ma'am, is there anything we can assist you with?"

From start to finish, the two receptionists spoke and stopped at the same time, their voices perfectly overlapping, so synchronized it was as if... they were the same person.

"Uh, no need, thanks."

After getting away from the creepily in sync receptionists, the office worker hurried toward the elevator: "Let's just get to the third floor quickly. These two lifeforms are just too weird—I'd rather these NPCs yell and come at me than deal with this kind of treatment."

They're all like mannequins.

Despite possessing the life given by the Mother of Life, they live like this—it’s enough to give the office worker, a devout believer in life and nature, goosebumps all over.

In many horror works, elevators are classic scary spots.

Thus, when the players stepped into the elevator, they instinctively checked it out carefully, remaining vigilant.

Only when the elevator ascended smoothly without any weird signs and finally stopped and opened on the third floor did they breathe a sigh of relief.

Exiting the elevator, they were greeted by a spacious work area, each workstation separated by partitions or corridors, resembling an oversized classroom.

Meng Siyou initially felt a surge of joy, thinking such an open layout would surely make it easy to locate their target.

After all, the staff member who had received them was wearing a bright red vest—in Meng Siyou’s mind, such a standout feature would undoubtedly help them quickly identify the person.

However, the moment Meng Siyou stepped out of the elevator and casually glanced around, his mind went blank for an instant.

The elevator doors slowly closed behind them, reflecting the varied expressions of the players:

Meng Siyou halted, his expression shifting from stiff to disbelieving, his eyes scanning helplessly into the distance;

The bespectacled man adjusted his slipping glasses, his expression unreadable but seemingly deep in thought;

The office worker stood with her arms crossed, her face displeased, clearly disliking the scene before her;

Only Chu Fu remained calm in the corner, as if everything had been under his control all along...

After a long pause, Meng Siyou asked in disbelief, "Why... why is everyone here wearing identical red vests?!"